I confess I have no basil and therefore don't know. Having said that, I believe you may pinch out more if you can. Look at the shape of the plant. If it grows thin and slender, you probably can nip more off. The whole idea is to do that and stimulate more growth. If it's quite bushy already, you should just nip off the top leaves. Hopefully someone may give you more advice.
It's taken me several years to get the hang of it.
I sow the seeds fairly thinly in a seed tray indoors in April .... when they're about an inch tall I lift the seedlings, about half a dozen at a time (I use a dessert spoon and try not to touch the seedlings at all - they bruise easily) and pot each clump into a large module in a plastic tray and keep them indoors on the windowsill.
When they're ready to pot on I transfer the whole clump into a bigger pot. and then they go out into the mini-greenhouse with plenty of fresh air in the daytime but shut up at night.
Now the temps are in the mid teens most nights I leave the little greenhouse top open.
All the time they get very careful watering ... only watering when the top of the compost is beginning to dry a bit and never getting the leaves wet .
Once the basil plants are growing nicely in their final pots they only get watered from below, putting an inch of water in the tray and any water remaining after 20 mins is thrown out.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I don't pinch basil out ... other than what I'm taking for cooking. None of what you see in that photo has been pinched out at all.
I shall be sowing some more any day now (I would have done it a couple of weeks ago but I've been incapacitated due to an injury) to replace the pots in the photo, as most of that will soon be turned into pesto
Last edited: 22 June 2017 16:20:04
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I confess I have no basil and therefore don't know. Having said that, I believe you may pinch out more if you can. Look at the shape of the plant. If it grows thin and slender, you probably can nip more off. The whole idea is to do that and stimulate more growth. If it's quite bushy already, you should just nip off the top leaves. Hopefully someone may give you more advice.
One problem I often face is, I am not able to make out if a plant is falling sick because of over watering or under watering. Can any one suggest some clear symptoms.
I don't pinch basil out ... other than what I'm taking for cooking. None of what you see in that photo has been pinched out at all.
I shall be sowing some more any day now (I would have done it a couple of weeks ago but I've been incapacitated due to an injury) to replace the pots in the photo, as most of that will soon be turned into pesto
It's taken me several years to get the hang of it.
I sow the seeds fairly thinly in a seed tray indoors in April .... when they're about an inch tall I lift the seedlings, about half a dozen at a time (I use a dessert spoon and try not to touch the seedlings at all - they bruise easily) and pot each clump into a large module in a plastic tray and keep them indoors on the windowsill.
When they're ready to pot on I transfer the whole clump into a bigger pot. and then they go out into the mini-greenhouse with plenty of fresh air in the daytime but shut up at night.
Now the temps are in the mid teens most nights I leave the little greenhouse top open.
All the time they get very careful watering ... only watering when the top of the compost is beginning to dry a bit and never getting the leaves wet .
Once the basil plants are growing nicely in their final pots they only get watered from below, putting an inch of water in the tray and any water remaining after 20 mins is thrown out.
Last year my Basil grew well from seeds but this year some how there was simply no response, so I had to buy some ready plants from store but they too are having problem adjusting in my place.
Posts
I confess I have no basil and therefore don't know. Having said that, I believe you may pinch out more if you can. Look at the shape of the plant. If it grows thin and slender, you probably can nip more off. The whole idea is to do that and stimulate more growth. If it's quite bushy already, you should just nip off the top leaves. Hopefully someone may give you more advice.
It's taken me several years to get the hang of it.
I sow the seeds fairly thinly in a seed tray indoors in April .... when they're about an inch tall I lift the seedlings, about half a dozen at a time (I use a dessert spoon and try not to touch the seedlings at all - they bruise easily) and pot each clump into a large module in a plastic tray and keep them indoors on the windowsill.
When they're ready to pot on I transfer the whole clump into a bigger pot. and then they go out into the mini-greenhouse with plenty of fresh air in the daytime but shut up at night.
Now the temps are in the mid teens most nights I leave the little greenhouse top open.
All the time they get very careful watering ... only watering when the top of the compost is beginning to dry a bit and never getting the leaves wet .
Once the basil plants are growing nicely in their final pots they only get watered from below, putting an inch of water in the tray and any water remaining after 20 mins is thrown out.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I don't pinch basil out ... other than what I'm taking for cooking. None of what you see in that photo has been pinched out at all.
I shall be sowing some more any day now (I would have done it a couple of weeks ago but I've been incapacitated due to an injury) to replace the pots in the photo, as most of that will soon be turned into pesto
Last edited: 22 June 2017 16:20:04
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
One problem I often face is, I am not able to make out if a plant is falling sick because of over watering or under watering. Can any one suggest some clear symptoms.
I also need Basil for cooking but it grows so slow that it is practically impossible for me to think of making Pesto.
Last year my Basil grew well from seeds but this year some how there was simply no response, so I had to buy some ready plants from store but they too are having problem adjusting in my place.